The travel and tourism industry is a hugely competitive sector, and it takes data-driven insights and capitalising on relevant trends to orchestrate marketing strategies that cut through the noise.

The travel industry at a glimpse

The Travel Trend Report 2018 suggested that more British holidaymakers have taken holidays in 2017 than at any other period in the last five years, with countries within the EU remaining the UK’s most popular travel destination. Nonetheless, overseas destinations have stayed similarly stable, with industry figures for 2018 putting bookings at 5% above last year.

As holidaymakers look to manage their budgets, all-inclusive holiday packages and domestic tourism will thrive, but how do you leverage these changes as a travel retailer? What can you do to make customers come to you over your competitors, and finally book the holiday they’ve likely been thinking about for months?

Your digital marketing strategy

Though recent stats are in the industry’s favour, the squeeze on the amount disposable income people have, coupled with the uncertainty of Brexit, has influenced the percentage of holidaymakers who actually commit. Travel companies need to do the best they can to reassure users by curating a meaningful, targeted campaign which not only inspires, but actually converts into bookings.

Below are five digital marketing insights that can help you build a successful digital marketing strategy.

Make it personal

Including your customers name in your communications can increase clicks by 40%. With such an expensive purchase as a holiday, consumers are looking for personalised marketing experiences. Ensure your communications speak to the user on a personal level.

Some might argue that the evolving digital travel sector has removed human interaction from booking a holiday. By using the customer’s name within your targeted ads and email copy, you’re speaking directly to your customer and providing a personal touch.

Capitalise on reviews

Holidaymakers are venturing online to research hotels, areas and holiday-providers. For this reason, reviews and testimonials have become the backbone of many travel companies. TripAdvisor is now one of the most popular websites in the world, housing over 600 million traveler reviews. Add seller ratings to AdWords adverts. Research suggests this can increase clicks by an average of 17%!

Get social

Research has frequently implied that the way a company responds to customers on social media acts as a metric for their trustworthiness. Use your social media platforms to create a narrative and communicate with your target market, as one third of customers visit social to inform their decision.

Live in the now

Travel-related searches for ‘tonight’ and ‘today’ have grown over 150% on mobile, over the past two years. Create content that targets what people are searching for, and don’t shy away from reducing cut-off times to appeal to last-minute bargain hunters!

Think mobile

How mobile-friendly is your site? Optimising for mobile should be a top priority as 49% of direct online bookings are now on mobile. A growing chunk of prospective holidaymakers are booking on their phones as opposed to device-switching, which highlights the importance of making sure your site works seamlessly on mobile. Any barriers to purchase, delays in page speed, bugs or hiccups during their booking experience will hinder trust in your company and deter people from booking with you.

Here at Silverbean, we have years of experience with clients in the travel sector. If you’d like to find out more about digital marketing or what Silverbean could do for your business, get in touch today.

Amy spread her wings and made the trip up North from sunny Grimsby mere years ago. It’s here that she bagged an English Literature and Language degree from Newcastle University, having simultaneously worked no less than three jobs throughout her studies. But, it was during her graduate role as a Junior Marketing Executive and Copywriter that her love of creative content marketing was ignited. Thus, keen to flex her copywriting chops, Amy arrived at Silverbean in summer 2017, and she hasn’t looked back ever since.

A talented writer, Amy has a keen eye for detail and, what seems, a never-ending supply of creative ideas. Since joining Silverbean, Amy also showed an affinity for link building. Keen to expand her skillset and challenge herself, Amy now splits her time between both the Content and Outreach Teams, working on both outreach and content campaigns for the likes of HelloFresh, Sterling Furniture, Lyceum Theatre and more.